I need hlep!

[Former_Member]

A buyer jsut reported to Etsy and opened a case. I am extremely frustrated!!!!
This buyer provided the wrong address and I sent the package exactly to the address I got based on Etsy's invoice and email. However, the buyer emailed me that she did not receive the necklace since she did not UPDATE her address and the package was delivered to her old address. Now she's asking me for refund........However, I do not think i should be responsible for buyer providing the wrong address.

I am so frustrated right now, cuz if this case was not solved, my shop will be suspended. And I really don't know why I should be responsible for buyer's fault. If I refund the buyer, then who's gonna pay me for my jewelry??

Any advise??

[Former_Member]

So you won't get the item you shipped to her back? That's really a hard situation. It seems strange that someone would be that unreasonable about a human error - and especially since that error was from her end! Sorry to hear this. I hope it gets resolved in a fair manner!

[CreationsByCarrieD]

Can she go to her old address and ask about the package? Or if that is too weird; would she possibly wait it out and see if it is returned? If it has the correct name, the new residents of her prior address will probably return it. I have no experience with this issue but I can't see fault being yours. She hadn't updated her address so I really don't understand why she would get either a refund or replacement order. Hope someone else has some advice.

Good luck....

[Former_Member]

Do you know if the package was refused and returned to the post office? It sounds to me like you did everything that was required of you. If the buyer didn't ensure that the delivery address was correct, that should be on them. I buy all the time on Etsy, and it seems to me that I always have the opportunity to double check all of my information.

I'm sorry, this doesn't sound fair. But, I guess it's not opinion that counts...it'll be Etsy's opinion that counts.

[Former_Member]

Aww shucks! This is one of the things about running a shop that I HATE!

I had something similar happen to me:

A customer ordered and paid. I shipped (with delivery confirmation) and sent email notification with tracking number. About 2 weeks go by and I don't hear anything. I check to see if they were delivered before leaving feedback. They were. I left positive feedback.

Literally, the next day, she contacts me asking for tracking information. (uh oh) I send it to her and relay the confirmed delivery according to USPS. She says she never got them. Her hubby checks the PO and his office. Nowhere to be found.

So here we are. I'm thinking she's trying to scam me. She gets nasty. I REALLY think she's trying to scam me! She won't let me replace them at wholesale price (whaaaaa?!?) For fear of negative feedback, I offer a refund, less shipping and fees. That's the best I can do. After all, according to Paypal, I'd be covered if she opened a claim.

THREE WEEKS LATER: She sends me a message, sweet as can be (ugh), that she received the bibs and they're perfect. She offered to pay (surprisingly) but I'd had enough. I was done. She hasn't come back and I'm completely fine with that.

I hope something good comes of this! BTW- I wouldn't go changing your policies or anything until the case closes. Etsy will be able to see what you had in place long before this customer came along. Hopefully it'll help! Good luck and try to keep your chin up :)

[LookAgainVintage]

I've seen many shops that put a "disclaimer" at the end of each item description. Just a sentence that they will ship to the address provided and to please make sure it's correct. Unfortunately, it's only good if the buyer reads it and follows the instruction. How totally frustrating for you!

[Plumbeadacious]

That happened to me one time, but the buyer was good to work with. As it turned out, the package finally made its way back to me. She gave me her correct address and I reshipped the package at no extra charge.

I don't think you should refund the money because you used the address she provided. Can your shop be shut down because of that?

[Former_Member]

Well!
Unfortunately, yes! My shop will be closed by Etsy if the case remians open after 4 weeks and the buyer refuses to close this case. Even though I got the proof of 'someone' now living in this buyer's old address has received the package based on the conversation I had with this buyer. Cuz the buyer called back to her old place and confirmed that 'someone' had received her package and returned it to the sender. However, I did not get any returned package and now the buyer is asking for refund b/c I did not re-send her the package to her new address. How could I send her the package again without getting the returned one? Now the buyer got upset and reported this case to Etsy and I got warned by Etsy to close this case in 4 weeks, if not, my shop will be suspended. :( I m feeling really really frustrated, cuz I worked so hard for my shop and I almost reach my 100 sales.......

[Former_Member]

Have YOU contacted Etsy about this? I understand the age-old "the customer is right;" but in this case, the customer isn't right. There has to be some kind of protection for a seller in this case.

If this were me, and the original package was re-routed back to me; I would wait until I received the original and then re-ship & probably not charge anything more.

[TOMgirlApparel]

Yes, I agree with Heather. Try to not get upset by this, this sort of thing happens all the time. Just wait for package to be returned to you and re-ship at no extra charge. Be polite, calm, and carry on.

[Former_Member]

I agree with Heather and Amanda! It'll come back to you and, once it does, you can ship it right out to her again.

[Former_Member]

Thank you all for the great support! I really appreciate it.

Now, what I'm afraid of most is what if the package got lost during the process of its return? It seems like there's no tracking number for me to track the returned package.

[MissLadysmith]

I feel for you, I had a similar problem with a customer who claimed the necklace never arrived.
So, I felt I had no choice but to send her another piece, which I also paid extra to send with international tracking - i was out of pocket completely due to this...
I have never had a thank you, she has never even responded to my 'have you got the necklace yet?' messages.... and she hasn't even left me any positive feedback.

However, even though I'm really out of pocket by it, to at least £30.00!!! I would rather make a loss on that occasion and do whatever i can to keep the customer happy, even if they dont thank you - as bad news always spreads quicker than good news.

It is unfair in these situations, but with jewellery being so highly competitive on here, I think its best to do whatever you can to keep the customer sweet.

However there is no excuse for bad manners and rudeness!!!

I hope you get the problem resolved as pain and purse free as possible :)

[Former_Member]

Thank you Amanda!!!

Yeh! The worst scenario is sending the customer a new necklace or simply refund her the money. :(

[Former_Member]

Is Etsy aware of the situation from your side? This is worrying since I do not see you were at fault in any way.

How could the buyer call back to her old place? Does she know the people living there? This sounds very odd to me. I hate to be negative, but maybe it was never returned to you.

I hope this resolves decently for you. It is every seller's nightmare, I think.

[CreationsByCarrieD]

I really hope it is returned to you however like others asked, have YOU contacted Etsy directly to explain the situation? She is completely at fault. This is truly worrying considering the fault is documented. There should be no questioning who is at fault. It is obviously the customer. I don't know how the process works for opening a case so I am blindly saying that she shouldn't have been able to open a case at all. So bogus.

Please let us know how this resolves. If this ends badly for you, I think there needs to be a change that protects the sellers from situations like this.

Have you asked her if she would be willing to wait until you received the original package before expecting you to mail her another? I would think this would make sense to her....but you know not everyone thinks about what is fair.

[Former_Member]

Dear Carrie,

Yeh! I did contact the Etsy trust and safety team and try to ask them to review and intervene in the case filed again my shop. I even provide all the proof I got with my email. However, so far, they are not really helping, their reply made me feel like they just copied and pasted their official reply.
Well, I tried to explain to them again. Hopefully, there's someone really read my mail thoroughly and try to do some help. :(

if there's any result coming up, I will update it here and share my experience with all the team member.

[Former_Member]

Um hey before you provide everyone with updates, you should know that you're not supposed to discuss specific transactions in the fora. Also know that because this post is public it is visible to everyone including your customer.

I hope the situation gets handled for you. Honestly, I would refund the customer or send another one ASAP and just take this as a loss.

Also, everyone may not realize, but if she paid with PayPal she can also file a complaint because according to their TOU it's your responsiblity to get the customer the package---regardless of what happened.

[Former_Member]

Dear Brittany,

Well, if so, then I'm not gonna discuss about this issue any further over here.
Actually, I already contacted Etsy team, and according to their reply, I've done all I can do and I did not against any Etsy's policy so they'll stand on seller's side. Regard to Paypal's policy, you can only file a complaint within 45 days and this was an order 2 months ago. so.... I don't think I'll get any problems from Paypal.

What I am trying to say over here is, why should the seller got blamed for the problem causing from the buyer himself. If every buyer claims that he did not receive the order, are you gonna refund all of them even though it's not your fault at all?? It's not just about the money, it's also about protecting our sellers' right. That's all!

Anyway, thanks for all the response to this thread.

[LittleAcornToronto]

Kathryn, I'm with you on this one. The buyer gave you an address, you mailed it to that address. You even have confirmation that it was received at the address that the customer gave you.

Doesn't that clear you? I'm pretty sure that PayPal would even back you on this one...

[CreationsByCarrieD]

Well I am glad it seems Etsy is going to stand by you. I am also glad you persisted. This makes me feel better as a seller on Etsy. I am glad you did share this because it is a way for us to learn to have better interaction with customers and make the process go as it should.

[Former_Member]

Kathryn, I'm so glad this is resolved. I am totally on your side. It is not your fault at all. Thank you for posting this here because any of us can run into the same problem. Best wishes to you!